Bible Centered Devotionals with Reprint Rights

Searching for Bible-centric devotionals? Looking for content you can use on your own Christian website? The Bible Resource Center at the American Bible Society has just released a whole series of excellent reflections for personal use and also republishing. These devotionals are anchored in the Bible – not touchy-feely explorations of the author’s feelings. Each one is about 400-500 words long, so they are perfect for and ezine or blog. Good stuff.

I went to confirm the address and counted up the available content – 25 separate devotions from a variety of authors. When I tested the link a few hours late, there were 31!!! This pile is growing fast, so check it out.

Reprintable Devotional Bible Reflections at the Bible Resource Center website

Reliable Resources for Serious Students of the Bible

Finding trustworthy resources for studying the Bible can be a challenge. Many materials on the Internet have strong political or doctrinal slants that may not line up with your own positions. Sometimes these positions can make it difficult to determine the real meaning of the text.

The goal of this blog is to help you identify trustworthy online resources that you can use to enrich your study of the Bible. You will find maps of the Holy Lands, classic Christian writings, Bible study guides, background articles on people and culture of the Bible world, and much more. With these Essential Bible Study Tools at your disposal, you can decide for yourself what the Bible says!

Bible Study Maps of the Holy Lands

How for was the distance between Galilee and Jerusalem? Where is the Dead Sea? Where did Paul travel during his ministry? Studying the Bible becomes a whole lot easier when you understand where everything took place. Knowing where different cities were located and understanding the landscape of the Holy Lands can make a story that had been confusing suddenly make sense.

Take a look at these sites and get an essential geography lesson. They are sure to become essential Bible study tools in your collection.

Interactive Bible Maps Collection

An interactive collection of maps to the lands of the Bible along with still versions suitable for printing. The Flash based interactive maps let you zoom in and out as well as scroll around. As you do, a small side map with a red ‘frame’ shows you where on the big map the detailed view is located. It’s hard to adequately describe how cool this is, so just check it out for yourself.

Bible Map

A free Bible atlas which harnesses Google maps. It’s a Google mash-up, need we say more? These are always cool!

Bible Walks

Gateway to the Land of the Bible, this site is packed with original images and information and highlights the wonders and charm of the region and its relevance to the historical and biblical roots. There is no better site for getting a ground-level understanding of the terrain of the Holy Lands.

Is there a helpful map resource that should be listed? Leave a comment with a link. If we like it we’ll add it to the list.

Top Six Essential Bible Study Tools for Small Group Studies

You need the right tools to build and maintain a vibrant Bible study experience. It can be a Major challenge. Here are 6 essential Bible study tools that no Bible study should be without.

1. Pray for Enlightenment: We can understand a great deal on our own, but full understanding only comes with God’s help and guidance.
2. Listen to Other Voices: Theologians from other traditions, the words Church Fathers passed down through history, or even the perspectives of other religions, can challenge some of your assumptions about the message of the biblical texts. Knowledge of the Bible is deepened when we interact with other readers and see the scriptures through new eyes.
3. Make Scripture the Focal Point: No matter what the theme of the study might be, Scripture should be the central topic of Bible study.
4. Don’t Limit Bible Engagement to Reading Only, Include Other Media: Film, literature, art, the daily news, etc. all offer ways for us to see and understand the Bible in a different light.
5. Questions, Questions, Questions: Need we say more? <– Look, a question!
6. Respond to the Bible – Take Action: Whether it be to dig deeper, put faith into action, make a life change, or prayerfully reflect, engagements with Scripture should leave us feeling like we need to do something.

Keep these 6 tools in mind for every Bible study you plan. Then, stand back as your discussions explode with excitement and passion as the Bible message comes alive in your small group study.